Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Over at The Midnight Society, we've got a ton of really fun horror-themed activities going on for the month of October. Every week of the month has a theme, and we're kicking things off this week with horror history.

When I think of horror history, I think of the greats like Lovecraft, Chambers and Poe, who paved the way for the genre and inspired so many of the writers that came afterward. But I also think of '70s and '80s horror movies, as I still believe the the late '70s and early to mid-'80s were the greatest time for horror films, and so much of what we associate with the genre was established in that era of film making.

So, my entry for horror history week will be to live-tweet a viewing of the original EVIL DEAD. This 1981 film is an absolute masterpiece of low-budget film making, and it put both Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell on the map.

The live-tweet will start at 8:30PM EST, and I'll be using the hashtag #OctFearFeston Twitter. I'll be watching my personal copy of EVIL DEAD, but you can watch the movie for free on Hulu right here. You can also rent it from Amazon for about $3, and it's totally worth it.

Over the course of the month, I'll be revisiting all three of the original EVIL DEAD trilogy of films, leading up to a live-tweet of ASH VS> EVIL DEAD on Halloween night.

Monday, September 28, 2015

In 2013, a series of murders rocked the small community of Woodsview, Massachusetts. Six months later, college students Louise Vernon and Philip Barker recorded a series of podcasts looking back at the killings, and examining each one from the perspective of the victims, the police, and the Woodsview Harvester, the maniac responsible for the murders.

Beginning today, those podcasts are being posted and archived on the website of Woodsview's local newspaper, the Sentinel.

Friday, September 25, 2015

In the pages of HARROWED, writers Jolene Haley and Brian LeTendre recounted the tale of the Woodsview Harvester, a killer who terrorized a small Massachusetts town in October of 2013. The murder of Woodsview High School senior Beatrice Thompson was the beginning of a killing spree that will forever scar the small community.

Roughly six months after the murders, two Central Massachusetts State College students produced a series of podcasts revisiting the case. Louise Vernon and Philip Barker examined each death from the perspectives of the Harvester, the victim and the police who were investigating the killings. The podcasts were part of a school project and originally broadcast through the college radio station, but were also submitted the local newspaper to be archived as part of the ongoing story surrounding the Woodsview Murders.

Beginning Monday, those podcasts episodes will be made available every other week on WoodsviewMurders.com.

If you haven't read HARROWED yet, you can get a copy over on Amazon by clicking here.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Today is a very special day for us. Several months ago, we decided that we wanted to write a book together. Today, that book was finally released into the world, and we could not be more excited and proud and just really happy to finally share it with everyone.

HARROWED is a love letter to the '80s and early '90s horror movies that we grew up watching, and the music that provided the soundtrack to them as well. From Friday the 13th, Halloween and Scream to Tesla, Def Leppard and AC/DC, this book is full of references to that wonderful era of slashers and headbangers.

But while we've drawn much inspiration from the past, we've added a few modern twists of our own as well. We'd like to think the result is both a treasure trove for longtime horror fans and a great entry point for those who have never dipped their toe into the machete-infested waters of the genre. We feel that YA horror is a genre with huge potential, and we're excited to bring The Woodsview Murders to it.

Avery Blair has accepted the fact that nothing exciting ever happens in her small town of Woodsview, Massachusetts. As the editor of the high school blog, she prays for something—anything—to come along that would make for a great headline.

When Beatrice Thompson’s body is found in the girls’ bathroom, Avery has her biggest story ever. The rumors circulating the school say that Beatrice took her own life, but Avery doesn't believe it for a second. Her instincts prove true when the next day brings another body bag.

The tiny community of Woodsview has become the hunting ground for a killer known as the Harvester. The killer targets Avery and her classmates, stalking their every move and terrorizing them with morbid messages.

With the help of her boyfriend Jason, her best friend Quinn, and an aging detective who can't keep her off the case, Avery dives head-first into her own investigation. She discovers that the secret of the Woodsview Harvester is buried in the town's history and its annual Harvest Festival celebration. With every clue she uncovers, Avery grows closer to unmasking the killer—and becoming the next victim.
Avery Blair has finally found a story to die for...if she can stay alive long enough to write it.

♪♪♪♪

About the Authors

About Jolene Haley

Jolene Haley is the author of the Woodsview Murders series, Harrowed (out 9/22/15) and Haunted, coming fall 2016. She’s also the curator of the best-selling horror anthology The Dark Carnival through Pen & Muse Press.

She runs a YA horror blog The Midnight Society, the author resource site Pen & Muse, and Hocus Pocus & Co., a small horror press. She writes every genre under the sun, but prefers horror.

When she’s not writing she can be found cuddling her two dogs and enjoying the beach, where she lives.

Brian LeTendre Author PicBrian LeTendre is the writer of the Parted Veil horror series, which includes Courting the King in Yellow, Lovecraft’s Curse, and Lovecraft’s Pupil.

A gaming, comics and horror lover, Brian has co-hosted and produced a podcast about geek culture called Secret Identity since 2006, producing well over 1000 hours of programming. He also hosts and produces three other podcasts about writing (See Brian Write) and gaming (Co-Op Critics).

In addition to podcasting, Brian has worked as a freelance games journalist, and currently writes a webcomic called Mo Stache, which can be read for free online and will be collected in print in 2016.

Friday, September 18, 2015

Quinn Grady is a central character in HARROWED, the first book in the Woodsview Murders series from Horror Twins Press.

Quinn Grady is the Louise to main character Avery Blair's Thelma. The Shirley to her Laverne. The Ethel to her Lucy. Or, for the younger crowd, the Harper to her Alex, the Willow to her Buffy, the...well, you get the idea.

I love writing the "best friend" character as much as--and at times even more than--the main character in a story. It's an interesting challenge to make the best friend be more than just a sidekick, more than just a sounding board or scenery for the main character to play off of. Jolene and I both had a clear vision for who we wanted Quinn to be, and she sprang to life right alongside Avery, with her own story to tell. It's a very different story than Avery's, and one that will profoundly change her--if she survives its final act.

Without further ado...

Meet QUINN Grady

Scarlett Johansson dreamcasted as Quinn Grady

Name: Quinn Grady

Age: 18

School: Woodsview High School

Grade: Senior (12)

Best Friend: Avery Blair

Facebook Relationship Status: Single (*sigh*)

Life Goals: Cut me some slack--I'm still figuring out today.

♪♪♪♪

Let's Talk Favorites

We asked Quinn if she'd indulge us and play the favorites game so we could get to know a bit more about her. Luckily, she said yes.

Favorite Ice Cream: Coffee

Favorite Movie: The Goonies

Favorite Band: The Bangles

Favorite Color: Cinnamon Brown

Favorite Car: Avery's Red GTO (I don't have one of my own)

Favorite Food: Pizza

Favorite Holiday: Halloween

Favorite Book: The Outsiders

Favorite Scary Movie: Return to Horror High

Most Prized Possession: A perfect sand dollar I found washed up on the beach when I was five.

Favorite Memory: My first (and only) trip to Disney World when I was a freshman.

Favorite Parent: My dad--he's only ever encouraged me to be myself.

Favorite Subject: What's the name of the time between the bell for each class?

Avery Blair has accepted the fact that nothing exciting ever happens in her small town of Woodsview, Massachusetts. As the editor of the high school blog, she prays for something—anything—to come along that would make for a great headline.

When Beatrice Thompson’s body is found in the girls’ bathroom, Avery has her biggest story ever. The rumors circulating the school say that Beatrice took her own life, but Avery doesn't believe it for a second. Her instincts prove true when the next day brings another body bag.

The tiny community of Woodsview has become the hunting ground for a killer known as the Harvester. The killer targets Avery and her classmates, stalking their every move and terrorizing them with morbid messages.

With the help of her boyfriend Jason, her best friend Quinn, and an aging detective who can't keep her off the case, Avery dives head-first into her own investigation. She discovers that the secret of the Woodsview Harvester is buried in the town's history and its annual Harvest Festival celebration. With every clue she uncovers, Avery grows closer to unmasking the killer—and becoming the next victim.

Avery Blair has finally found a story to die for...if she can stay alive long enough to write it.
____________________________________________

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

When Jolene and I were first talking about working together, we knew we had a common love of ‘80s horror movies. As soon as we started brainstorming however, it became clear that we had a another interest in common that would become central to the Woodsview Murders series—’80s rock and metal music.

I grew up in the ‘80s, and the music of that decade is forever woven into my existence. There is not a day that goes by that I’m not listening to one of the bands I grew up with. My tastes run from hair metal bands like Poison and Cinderella, to rock icons AC/DC, to thrash legends Megadeth and Slayer. If it’s on the rock and heavy metal spectrum, I love it.

Turns out, Jolene likes a lot of that stuff too, and the Venn diagram of our musical tastes overlaps quite a bit when it comes to ‘80s rock and metal.

So, when we created HARROWED as our love letter to the slasher movies of the ‘80s, we decided that it needed a killer soundtrack (pun intended). Since we don’t have the deep pockets it would take to license an actual soundtrack full of songs, we did the next best thing--created a playlist that captures the feel of our story and the music that inspired it.

An early working title for Harrowed was Killchat, and that’s the name of our playlist. You can listen to the entire thing here:

But here are a few choice cuts from it:

Awesome, right? There's a smattering of '70s (and even '60s) rock and metal in there as well, as we don't discriminate between awesome decades of music. But the '80s is king, and that decade of music and movies is the heart and soul of HARROWED.

Jolene and I have talked about putting a CD cover insert together for our playlist, so that if someone bought the individual songs from their platform of choice they could print out the insert and make their own soundtrack for HARROWED. Stay tuned for more details on that, but in the meantime--enjoy the music!

Monday, September 14, 2015

Saturday night I headed to the Stafford Palace Theater in Connecticut to see Saxon and Armored Saint, two veteran metal bands that I had never gotten to catch live before. I've been a big fan of Armored Saint since the late '80s, and Saxon is a legendary metal band that has been putting out albums for over thirty-five years now.

I love seeing concerts in small venues, and the Stafford Palace Theater has a capacity of 400, which makes it among the smallest I've seen a show at. If I had to guess, I'd say there was only about 200-250 people there to see the show Saturday night, but that didn't stop all of the bands from putting on an amazing show.

Up first was MindMaze, a prog/power metal outfit fronted by the brother-sister duo of Sarah and Jeff Teets (vocals and guitar, respectively). They came out with a lot of energy and had a great set. Sarah's soaring vocals were impressive and made everyone in the crowd pay attention, while Jeff's solos were absolute shredders. By the time they finished their set, MindMaze had made quite a few new fans, including me (I picked up their latest CD "Back From the Edge").

Up next was the band I came to see--Armored Saint. I've been a fan for years, but had never gotten the chance to see them live, as they don't do a lot of touring. They did not disappoint. From the second they walked onstage, the entire band exuded confidence and a sense of fun that made it impossible not to enjoy yourself.

They kicked things off with "Win Hands Down," the title track from their new album, which perfectly showcases every member of the band. Guitarists Jeff Duncan and Phil Sandoval pick-scratched over the building drums of Gonzo, while both Joey Vera and John Bush seemed to let the music overtake them as the song exploded into action. Duncan and Sandoval shredded and harmonized, Bush belted out the rousing chorus and Joey Vera jumped around the tiny stage like Angus Young.

Armored Saint has plenty of anthem songs, and tunes like "March of the Saint," "Raising Fear," "Can You Deliver" and "Reign of Fire" had everyone singing and fist-pumping along. Even a few glitches with the sound system couldn't stop Armored Saint from kicking ass for their entire set. I'm so glad I got to see them live, and I hope they tour more, because they're an amazing live band.

And then, there was Saxon. It's impossible not to have heard of Saxon if you're an old school metal fan, but I had never been a huge fan of theirs--until now.

Let me start by saying that lead singer Biff Byford is 64 years old. I bring that up because in the span of a couple hours, he put most lead singers I've seen in the past decade to shame. The man can still sing like he's in his thirties, and it was a sight to behold.

Not to mention the freaking stage presence of Byford. He had the crowd eating out of his hand in the first five minutes. He wasn't doing that cheesy "put your hand in the air" crap, either--he just talked to the crowd like an actual person. He was having fun, and that vibe was infectious.

Guitarist Paul Quinn has also been there since the beginning of Saxon, and he had the crowd fired up with every riff and solo that he banged out. Nigel Glockler (drums), Nibbs Carter (bass) and Doug Scarratt (guitars) were firing on all cylinders as well, especially Carter, who was headbanging and whipping his hair around Cliff Burton-style all night.

Saxon played a parade of classic hits, from "Motorcycle Man" to "Heavy Metal Thunder" and "Denim and Leather." They also mixed in some newer tunes, including the title track of their upcoming album twenty-first studio album, "Battering Ram." The set ran two hours (longer than they were supposed to play), and not once did Byford or any of the other members of Saxon seem the least bit ready to leave the stage. They played like they were in front of a stadium crowd of 25,000, not 250.

Going into the show on Saturday night, I expected Armored Saint to put on a great show--and they did. I did not expect Saxon to be one of the best live bands I've ever seen, but that's why I go to live shows. Saxon has earned every bit of their legendary status, and I will be digging into a lot more of their back catalog, and picking up the new CD when it drops October 16th.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

In the thirty-first episode of the See Brian Write podcast, I wrap up the NaNoWriMo-themed season with my good friend and co-author Jolene Haley. We talk about editing your NaNoWriMo project and the benefits of collaboration.

We also have plenty of discussion about The Woodsview Murders, our new series that was born out of NaNoWriMo. The first book in the series--HARROWED--arrives 9/22/15.

You can listen to the entire episode right here in the player below, or head over to soundcloud.com/seebrianwrite to download the MP3. You can also subscribe to the podcast with these feeds:

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Seriously, I am so excited to reveal the amazing cover for HARROWED, the first book in the Woodsview Murders series. Artist Hang Le did such a fantastic job taking the elements that Jolene Haley and I wanted our cover to have and making something haunting an beautiful. We could not be more happy with it, and we are ecstatic to finally share it.

And since we're revealing our cover, that means we're getting awfully close to our book's release! HARROWED will arrive on Amazon on September 22nd, and you can add the book on Goodreads right now.

Are You Ready?

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Behold!

Harrowed (The Woodsview Murders #1)

Book Release Date: 09/22/15 by Horror Twins Press

About Harrowed

Journalism Rule #1: Always report the story. Never become the story.

Avery Blair has accepted the fact that nothing exciting ever happens in her small town of
Woodsview, Massachusetts. As the editor of the high school blog, she prays for
something—anything—to come along that would make for a great headline.

When Beatrice Thompson’s body is found in the girls’ bathroom, Avery has her biggest story
ever. The rumors circulating the school say that Beatrice took her own life, but Avery doesn't
believe it for a second. Her instincts prove true when the next day brings another body bag.

The tiny community of Woodsview has become the hunting ground for a killer known as the
Harvester. The killer targets Avery and her classmates, stalking their every move and terrorizing
them with morbid messages.

With the help of her boyfriend Jason, her best friend Quinn, and an aging detective who can't
keep her off the case, Avery dives head-first into her own investigation. She discovers that the
secret of the Woodsview Harvester is buried in the town's history and its annual Harvest Festival
celebration. With every clue she uncovers, Avery grows closer to unmasking the killer—and
becoming the next victim.

Avery Blair has finally found a story to die for...if she can stay alive long enough to write it.

About My Awesome Co-Author Jolene Haley

Jolene Haley is the author of the Woodsview Murders series, Harrowed (out 9/22/15) and
Haunted, coming fall 2016. She’s also the curator of the best-selling horror anthology The Dark
Carnival through Pen & Muse Press.

She runs a YA horror blog The Midnight Society, the author resource site Pen & Muse, and
Hocus Pocus & Co., a small horror press. She writes every genre under the sun, but prefers
horror.

When she’s not writing she can be found cuddling her two dogs and enjoying the beach, where
she lives.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

August is over, and we are now inside of the release month for Harrowed, the first book in the Woodsview Murders series.

It's a little scary, but in the best way possible.

The last few weeks of prep on a book is like the climactic scene with the killer in a horror movie. It's the final showdown. There's no more messing around. Only one of you is getting out alive.

But unlike most horror movies, where the lone hero has to face off against unspeakable evil, I didn't come to this final conflict alone.

I brought a partner.

Jolene and I have been in hardcore editing mode for over a month now, and I have to say--this process is so much more fun with someone else. As I mentioned before, having a great collaborator like Jolene means never losing momentum on a project. That has carried over into the editing phase as well. One of us is always working on this book--there is always progress being made.

Our best tool for editing continues to be Skype, and as we head down the home stretch, any major changes to the book have come during our Skype sessions, so we can walk through them together. I honestly wish we had recorded this last session, as it was a fantastic example of how Jolene and I work together.

There was a particular scene in the middle of the book that just felt a bit meandering to both of us, and it didn't provide the tense moment we wanted it to. But the scene had a lasting impact on what came afterward. So, we couldn't just cut it--we needed to fix it. Over the course of two and a half hours, we talked through every angle of the scene, each throwing out ideas about how we could make it leaner and give it more punch at the same time. Once we had a vision for it, we actually rewrote the scene together and went through it all over again. When we were satisfied with it, we put the revamped scene into the main story and smoothed out the edges. The revised scene is so much better than the original, and it's at least five pages shorter. Most importantly though, it provided the scare we were looking for the first time around.

I really can't overstate how great it's been working with Jolene. This book is truly a team effort, and both the writing and editing processes have been a blast. We cannot wait to share Harrowed with everyone, and September 22nd is just around the corner. We also have some pretty cool stuff planned around the book's release and beyond, so stay tuned.